Rebels attack Bukidnon town, abduct 3 persons and destroy heavy equipment

An estimated force of 200 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) have attacked a private home in Talakag, Bukidnon, abducting the owner and two government personnel, including one police officer, Thursday morning. (Photo by Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee) – English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0,)

MANILA—An estimated force of 200 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) have attacked a private home in Talakag, Bukidnon, abducting the owner and two government personnel, including one police officer, Thursday morning.

Aside from the above-mentioned atrocities, the NPAs also torched one backhoe, one dump truck, a mixer and a generator set belonging to the Mindanao Rock Corporation.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, 4th Infantry Division public affair officer, said the incident took place around 5 a.m.

At that time, 200 suspected rebels forcibly entered the home of one Lito Siagan Atoy, 48, married, at Barangay Tikalaan of the above-mentioned locality.

He added that some of the rebels dragged Atoy and two government personnel, whom they chanced upon at Kilometer 28 of Barangay Tikalaan, before fleeing aboard seven motorcycles.

At this point, the rebels also destroyed the heavy equipment they stole from Mindanao Rock Corporation before heading towards the direction of Lanao Del Sur.

One of the abducted government personnel was later identified as a certain PO2 Natividad of the Kalilangan Municipal Police Station.

Pursuit operations are now being conducted by the 1st Special Forces Battalion, Martinez added.